1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to coaster brakes and more particularly to coaster brakes adapted for use on the front wheel of a tricycle or velocipede.
2. Description of Related Art
Coaster brakes are most commonly installed in the hub of the rear wheel of a bicycle which rotates about a fixed axle. Another type of coaster brake is installed in the hub of the front wheel of tricycles or velocipedes, which is directly driven by a drive shaft on which the hub is mounted. The shaft is rotated by turning crank arms connected to the ends of the drive shaft U.S. Pat. No. 1,408,842 to Charles W. Svenson and U.S. Pat. No. 2,528,309 to Edwin E. Hood describe such coaster brakes.
The operational characteristics of this type of coaster brake is that forward rotation of the shaft (i.e., in a direction which causes the velocipede to travel forward) causes the wheel to rotate in the same direction; reverse rotation of the shaft operates the braking mechanism of the coaster brake assembly to retard the forward rotation of the wheel. In the absence of rotation of the shaft, the wheel rotates freely under its inertia independent of the shaft.
It is believed that the coaster brakes described in the Svenson and Hood patent have not met with commercial acceptance. Other coaster brakes such as those marketed by Shimano, Suntour and Bendix, while commercially successful, have generally required fixed axles and were typically used for rear wheel drive bicycles.